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England vs Germany
England and Germany will lock horns on Friday night, as both nations continue to prepare for next summer’s World Cup in Russia.
Ahead of the friendly at Wembley, we’ve selected a combined XI of players from both teams, ignoring any current fitness issues to simply select the strongest side possible.
But which country has supplied the most players?
GK: Manuel Neuer (Germany)
Despite currently being sidelined with a foot injury, Neuer is the obvious choice between the sticks. The Bayern Munich custodian remains one of the world’s greatest goalkeepers – and at 31 he still has many years in the top left in him.
Joe Hart has declined markedly in recent seasons and would have struggled to dethrone Neuer even when he was at his peak at Manchester City. With Jack Butland and Jordan Pickford pushing hard for England’s No.1 jersey, Neuer comfortably makes the cut in this combined XI.
RB: Joshua Kimmich (Germany)
A player whose maturity and assuredness defies his tender years, 22-year-old Kimmich captained his country in a recent World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan. The fact he was entrusted with the armband shows how highly regarded the midfielder-cum-full-back is by Joachim Low, who last month called Kimmich “one of the greatest talents I have seen in the past decade”.
He may not possess the same dynamism as England’s Kyle Walker, his closest challenger for the right-back spot, but Kimmich is the better all-round footballer and deserves his place in the team.
CB: Jerome Boateng (Germany)
While perhaps no longer as dominant as he was under Pep Guardiola, Boateng remains one of the world's foremost centre-halves. Composed with the ball at his feet and possessing a fine range of passing, the Bayern Munich stopper is also strong in the tackle and quick across the ground.
John Stones is enjoying a fine campaign at Manchester City, but there are still doubts over the ex-Everton man's defensive instinct. Phil Jones is similarly in form but flawed, which gives Boateng a starting spot in this hybrid team.
CB: Mats Hummels (Germany)
Having followed Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski down the Borussia Dortmund-Bayern Munich path in summer 2016, Hummels has taken his game to another level in recent times. The 28-year-old is a fantastic distributor of the ball from the back, adept at stepping into midfield and starting the play for both club and country; he also reads the game well and positions himself expertly, earning comparisons with Bayern and Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer - and for a defender there's few higher benchmarks than that.
Again, Stones and Jones haven't yet done enough to earn a spot in the side, while Chelsea captain Gary Cahill isn't in Hummels' class.
LB: Danny Rose (England)
Rose is the only player who prevents an all-German back five. The Tottenham defender may still be searching for match fitness after his lengthy lay-off, but he faces little competition for his place in this combined XI. Indeed, left-back has been a problem position for die Mannschaft in recent times: with Borussia Dortmund's Marcel Schmelzer seemingly unfancied by Joachim Low, Hertha Berlin's Marvin Plattenhardt looks set to be given the nod on Friday.
Rose's energy and dynamism made him the best left-back in the Premier League before his injury, and he's likely to reclaim that crown in the coming months.
CM: Toni Kroos (Germany)
Germany's midfield metronome was arguably the standout player at the 2014 World Cup, even if FIFA's official prize went to Lionel Messi. A magnificent passer of the ball who controls the tempo and directs the play for both club and country, Kroos rarely loses possession or makes a bad decision.
There are - whisper it - similarities between the Real Madrid midfielder and Harry Winks, who has shown tremendous potential in the last couple of months. For now, though, there's no contest: Kroos is one of the first names on this team sheet.
CM: Sami Khedira (Germany)
A World Cup winner in 2014, Khedira is the type of midfield all-rounder who can contribute in every phase of the game. The Juventus man breaks up play, carries the ball forward and reliably keeps possession, while he frequently makes forward runs to support his team's forward players.
Jordan Henderson has been used as Liverpool's deepest midfielder under Jurgen Klopp, but is naturally a player in the Khedira mould - albeit not quite at the same level.
RW: Raheem Sterling (England)
It’s easy to forget that Sterling is still only 22, which is remarkable given he’s already won 35 senior England caps and made almost 250 appearances for Liverpool and Manchester City. The winger was heavily criticised after the Euro 2016 debacle, but he’s in the form of his life at present – only Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero have scored more goals in the Premier League so far this term.
Julian Draxler is an incredibly gifted player who may start on the right flank for Germany on Friday, but he’s struggled for game time in his favoured role at star-studded PSG this season and therefore loses out to Sterling.
AM: Dele Alli (England)
A couple of years ago Thomas Muller would have been a shoo-in for this position, but the Bayern Munich attacker was poor last season and is still re-finding his feet under Jupp Heynckes. Mesut Ozil is another German who’s perhaps unfortunate to miss out, but Alli gets the nod in part because of his established relationship with this side’s centre-forward.
The former MK Dons man has often played as a second striker in the last 18 months or so, while he’s also capable of dropping deeper and beefing up the midfield. It’s that sort of flexibility which makes Alli a manager’s dream.
LW: Leroy Sane (Germany)
Sane has started the season in electrifying fashion, scoring six goals and providing five assists in 11 Premier League appearances for runaway leaders Manchester City. The speedy, tricky wide man has come on leaps and bounds since his early years at Schalke, where Sane was capable of brilliance but often undone by an inability to demonstrate it on a regular basis.
Marcus Rashford is a similarly exciting young talent also plying his trade in Manchester, but Sane has the edge on the England forward at present.
ST: Harry Kane (England)
Kane had only made 11 Premier League appearances when England participated at the 2014 World Cup, but he’s now widely regarded as one of the best centre-forwards around and will be key to the Three Lions’ chances of success in Russia next summer. As well as scoring 107 goals in 153 games for Tottenham since the start of 2014/15, he’s also netted 12 times in 23 outings for his country.
Timo Werner is a talented young centre-forward and Thomas Muller could do a job up front, but Kane’s consistency in front of goal means he’s best placed to lead the line for this hybrid side.
Total players per country: England 4, Germany 7
